2016 - A Year In Review Reported at KVHS AGM
Annual Report for the KVHS Inc for the year ended November 19th 2016
Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to our 8th AGM.
I would like to begin this report by sincerely thanking the Committee of KVHS Inc for another year of dedication, hard work and achievement. This is all made possible by the members having a positive commitment to the KVHS and loads of good humour.
We are a small committee, but the one thing we have over a lot of groups is, we love what we do. History is so interesting and exciting and each new item or piece of information we receive is like being given a gift and we appreciate how lucky we are that folk trust us with their precious items.
Grants:
So far, each year has been a bit different to the last, and we grow and build on what we have achieved in the years before. During 2016, we were fortunate to be the recipients of four and a half grants.
In January we were cleaning out our storage shed to accommodate a Compactus storage unit. We had purchased it with the money we received from the Alpine Shire Community Grant in 2015. This was very exciting because it made our terrible storage area better in that it provided another layer of protection for paper and material items. Our grateful thanks to the Alpine Shire for their continued support.
The next grant application was to Public Records Office (PRO) for museum-standard storage boxes. We were very fortunate to receive a grant of $600 and the boxes will be well used. Our sincere thanks to PRO, and to Karen Wykes for her efforts with the grant application.
Towards the end of 2015 we applied to the Mount Beauty Community Bank for a grant to erect a Museum sign on the front of the building to let people know where we were. We once again were fortunate to receive $690 and in April 2016 we had a beautiful sign erected on the front of the VIC. Our grateful thanks goes to our Community Bank which has been a great supporter of KVHS Inc. from the very start and we hope, into the future.
On Wednesday 10th August, Noel McDougall and I clicked the SUBMIT button on the computer with great trepidation. We had been entering our application for the Into Our Hands Foundation 2016 Grant into their computer program and we were not at all sure it was going to work. In the end we just pressed submit and waited for the explosion!! Nothing happened that day, but when I returned from holiday and found an email to say that our application had been accepted, and then Tawonga South nearly did erupt. We had been given a grant of $10,000 to refurbish and upgrade our Cattlemen and Women of the Kiewa Valley and their High Plains Huts exhibition. We have engaged IXD Graphic Design from Bright and we are currently working on the research. The Into Our Hands Foundation is a group, which was formed by the State Government after the 2009 fires. Their brief is to distribute money collected from the people of Victoria after the fires to help community groups from the affected areas re-establish their communities.
The IOH committee really liked our application and could see how important the collection of historical data and artefacts is to a community, especially a community in crisis, such as after fires etc. We are most grateful to the Into Our hands Foundation and look forward to inviting them to come and open the display when it is finished.
Now to the other half. An application for $3800.00 was made to the Alpine Shire Community Grants on the 30th June for an upgrade to the electricals in the museum, namely more power points and improved lighting. About four weeks later I received a call from Jan Mock from the Alpine Shire to say that we had not been successful with our application, BUT, she considered that what we were asking for was an OH&S issue which should be handled by the Maintenance Department immediately. I was given a phone number and gladly rang it. I’d had dealings with Tim Bailey before with maintenance issues regarding the exterior doors and he had fixed our problems very promptly. This time was no different; within days we had 9 new power points and new strip lighting. So that was the half, which to us was a big half and we are very grateful to the Maintenance Crew for all that they do for us and to the Alpine Shire for their on-going support.
Exhibitions and Displays.
Late last year we mounted a display about community clubs and how they enrich people’s lives. The clubs we featured were the Tawonga CWA, The Bogong Clay-target Club, The Alpine Calisthenics Club and the Buffalo Lodge which had been formed during the height of the Kiewa Hydro days. This was an interesting display which appealed to the community.
During December and part of January we were lucky to be able to procure a travelling pop-up display from PRO, about The Queen. We had not had one of this type of display before and found it easy to erect and very effective. We opened it with an afternoon tea party and people shared their experiences of the Queen. It was a lovely afternoon and everyone who visited the museum during that time commented very positively.
During the Easter/ANZAC day Karen Wykes put up a very meaningful display called Letters from the Front, which featured the correspondence of the Briggs brothers to their mother and sister while they were away at WW1, sadly never to return.
During August all the temporary displays were taken down to make room for a new display. In conjunction with the launch of Dianne Edmondson’s book titled Tawonga Remembers, KVHS Inc mounted a comprehensive display, similarly titled, to complement the book launch. The display is of a very high standard and we thank Dianne for her information panels which look very professional. My thanks to all those who helped with this display in any way. It was a marvellous group effort which culminated in a wonderful opening day that was enjoyed by 150 members and friends.
Other:
Just a quick overview of other things we do with our precious time and energy:
Early this year we liaised with Russell Bellingham of Bogong School Camp for a group of students to reinstate the fence around the historic graves in Tom Cooper’s paddock at Running Creek. The fence is a barrier to keep the cows from damaging the graves and we are very grateful to Russell for his interest and help.
Quite a lot of time was spent by members gathering copy and photos for the Alpine Shire Heritage Network’s new booklet called the Alpine Heritage Guide. The result is a very handy, attractive tourism guide for those interested in history. The publication is a real asset for all museums in the Shire.
On 28th June Helen, Ian and I went over to Bright to a Council meeting. We had been asked to submit (in person) a case for our request for improved storage facilities. It was a bit daunting, but I felt it put faces to names and further enhanced our relationship with the Shire Councillors and Officers alike. Warm and fuzzy- yes, Action – not a lot.
Another interesting exercise was meeting the Managers of AGL Mount Beauty in an attempt to persuade them that they had a civic duty to give us lots of money to create an Interpretive Centre to showcase green energy and the history of the Hydro Scheme. Once again plenty of warm and fuzzy but absolutely no action. WE can but try????
So as you can see our little band of trusties has been busy. I would like to especially thank those people who have supported me in the background by doing all the important clerical things to keep our organisation ship shape in every way.
First and foremost I must thank Helen Howley our secretary. Helen is ‘Wonder Woman’ as far as I am concerned. She does an outstanding job of not only being a whizbang secretary, but being a rock solid back stop for us all. Our grateful and heartfelt thanks to you Helen.
A huge thankyou also to Mr Noel, our Treasurer extraordinaire. Thank you very much Noel for being a spot-on treasurer, a handy bloke with a hammer, brute force with immovable objects and a damn good bloke. Your time and effort is very much appreciated by us all.
I would like to sincerely thank Karen Wykes for her work as Collection Manager and Display Co-ordinator. Your hard work and dedication in the background is greatly appreciated by us all, many thanks Karen.
Thank you also to Barb Kiek for always being there when needed, for being a wonderfully supportive, hardworking member and for having a great sense of humour. Thanks Barb.
A big thank you to our other committee members, Margaret, Marjalyn and Laurene, who although they lead very busy lives always find time to help when they are able. They play an important, supportive role in KVHS and we sincerely thank you all.
A big thank you must also go to the Men’s Shed for their continued support with our special projects, your practical help and advice is invaluable to our organisation. Much appreciated.
Last but not least, thank you to the husbands, Ian, Roger and Rollo, who get hauled in to perform magic from time to time. Thank you all very much. Poor Ian, he is Men’s Shed as well!
That is about it for this year, we now look forward to next year and what exciting things it will bring.
My best wishes go to you all for all the joys of the Festive Season and have a most rewarding and happy 2017.
Kind regards, Barb Pyle
